Thanks to David Bruggeman’s Sept. 27, 2013 posting on his Pasco Phronesis blog for this information about two science video contests. This first contest, the FASEB (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) Stand Up for Science! is open to US residents only. It opens today, October 1, 2013 and closes November 30, 2013. The winner will be announced February 2014 and will receive $5000. Here’s more from the contest webpage (Note: Links have been removed),
From the creation of flu vaccines and new cancer therapies to enhancing agriculture and developing biofuels, bioscience breakthroughs are transforming our world and our health at a rapid pace. However, many Americans are not aware of the critical role the US federal government plays in supporting biological research and discovery.
We are looking for you to create an exciting, yet informative video to help educate Americans on how science is funded!
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The video should be between 1-4 minutes in length and address at least three of the questions listed on the Guidelines and Judging Rubric page. We have also compiled a list of Resources to help you get started. Remember to be creative and have fun!
There are more details about the required content for the videos on the Guidelines and Judging Rubric page,
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- National Science Foundation (NSF), Directorate for Biological Sciences
- Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture and Food Research Initiative
- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Medical and Prosthetic Research Program
Contestants can choose to address at least three of the questions proposed (from the Guidelines page),,
- What is the mission of the agency(ies)?
- What type(s) of research is supported by the agency(ies)?
- Who performs the research supported by the agency(ies)?
- Where do the researchers perform the science that is supported by the agency(ies)? Is any research conducted in your state supported by the agency(ies)?
- What are some of the major discoveries that were supported through that agency(ies)?
- How does the research funded by the agency(ies) benefit Americans?
- How does the agency(ies) get the funds to distribute to the researchers?
- What is the process by which researchers obtain funds through the agency(ies)?
- What fiscal challenges does this agency(ies) face in the future?
The second contest is the 2014 Kavli Science Video contest, which starts November 1, 2013 and closes March 21, 2014 . This year’s theme is Science in Fiction and it is open to an international audience. From the details listed on the USA Science & Engineering Festival website,
Interplanetary travel, time travel, telepathy, teleportation, brain powered computers, recombinant DNA, bionic limbs, cyborgs, cryonics. Just some of the far-fetched technologies that have been dreamed up over time, while today’s scientists might just be discovering ways to make them become real!
Investigate how science is portrayed in TV, films, and games. Find an example using a film, TV show, or video game, then compare to what we can do today with current or emerging technologies. Or tell us what science needs to discover to make it really happen.
The more you research, the more you will discover, and you might end up being surprised by what you find out.
Make a video (: 30 -: 90 [seconds]) that shares your discoveries and states your case.
There are four cash prizes: 1st place wins $2000, 2nd place wins $750, 3rd place wins $500 and the People’s Choice wins $250.
Good luck!